From IST to TST...Thailand-ing Day 1

I went on a 4 day trip to Thailand it was a "official" trip meaning an all expenses paid trip to visit places which is relevant to my work and missing out on all the fun places that most tourist visit. This trip came as a surprise to me, I had no idea that this trip was getting finalised I had made my own holiday plans to Bhutan during the Durga Puja Break...but for a wanderlust like me any kind of plan for travelling to a new country is always welcome.

The best part about the trip was our visit to the not so much tourist places like the OTOP craft villages and Craft Centers at Chiang Mai Province at North Thailand, I was amazed the see the kind of craftsman ship the craftsperson have at the centers and was mighty impressed. The craft villages were well maintained and the designs were just amazing, I ended up buying quite many items from the craft centers. In Thailand they have this project which was launched to support the crafts and artisans in various villages, its called "OTOP" centers, thats One Tambon One Product concept, in other words One Village One Product. It was a govt. backed programme with strong marketing networks. The finishing and craftsmanship was too good and I think artisans are given orientations in such a way that the products that they make must be world class and export quality goods. We visited OTOP centers at Saraphi District and a huge crafts village called "Ban Thawai", it was abt 50 times the size of Dilli Haat but with much better products and much, much cleaner. I was so damn impressed with the Thai people, we really can learn a great deal from them. Day 1 was spend on travelling at the OTP centers and some bit of shopping at the Anusarn Night Market, I couldn't resist buying so many items but what was really great abt Day 1 was the food we had at the Anusarn Market, it was just too good. It was a day well spent with some amazing food to end with.

AB, me and Iham

Baby Iham, my fren "AB's" cute 10 months old son.

My recent trip to Hyderabad "City of Pearls" was awesome. It was just a one day trip to meet an old fren "AB" and her son Iham. I have known AB since my Postgrads days, we did so many assignments together and over the years we have always kept in touch. Last time we met  was 4 yrs back, meeting her after so many years that too in her new avater  was funny....... new avatar of being the new age " Super Mommy" lol. The new "Super Mommy" role involves a demanding 24x7 on the call job, feeding the baby, entertaining the baby, cleaning, listening to nursery rhymes and not sleeping most of the time.The best part was we went shopping and she was carrying this huge bag...when asked why she said the bag has only "baby stuff: which was  baby's stuff..milk, diaper, cloth and what not, I started thinking how much motherhood can change a woman.

Coming to food...we went out for dinner at one of my fav. restaurants " Mainland China" the food was awesome, the dimsums, rice noodles and chicken. I enjoyed every bite of the meal and it was sure a day well spent with fren and baby.

More food and less travel

I haven't gone out of Tripura for almost two months now. The last time I was out was my trip to home (Imphal), it feels strange when I don't travel out of the state every month...aisa lagta hai jaise mei yahan sadiyoh se bahar nahi gayee.

Aisa nahi ke mujhe yahan accha nahi lagta but aadat se ho gayee hai travel karne ke har mahine. Since July I have been experimenting and trying to create something new in my cooking and thanfully I did managed to create some interesting recipes like a new type of Fried Chicken and Prawns with Corn flour fried in olive oil. The other day one of my cousin was going to Imphal from Agartala and mom asked me to send me fried prawns, I offered her to send some fried "Ilish Mach" also but her words " We are so bored of having Ilish" I was like okay really...maybe you are the only person bored of having Ilish.

Every year I discover something or the other in Agartala like this year I discovered "Nga-Napp" its really yummy as "Nga-nam" and I make "Nga-Nam" with a twist, I add crush garlic, thinly sliced onion and slit green chilles...the taste is heavenly. My fren "A" is so J abt the whole thing of me getting to have all kinds of yummy food wen she is subjected to eat the horrible hostel food. I am sure having a gala time in Tripura and will really miss my rendezvous with food in Tripura.

Twipra...Tripura

Neermahal @ Rudra Sagar Lake....Ujjayanta Palace...SANKAR HOTEL...Pilak..UnnaKOTI....Udaipur...MATABARI TEMPLE...ecoparks,Baramura...Tepania....Kalpania...Bamboo Handicrafts....Cane furniture.  Damcherra, Kanchanpur, Agartala...DHALAI....Jumpui Hills...Orange festival in December. PINEAPPLES...LICCHI....Sal and Teak wood....Highest FOREST cover in the country...Agartala..DHARMANAGAR...AMBASSA...SABROOM...Sheetal patti.....Kings of Tripura-The Manikya's....Ilish Mach, Chingri , Misti Doi, Chakoi.....DURGAPUJA....Kharchi PUJA...Ker Puja Communities: Bengalis Debbarma..Jamatia..Koloi...Hrangkhal..Chakma...REANGS ...Meitei's...Bisnupriya. Neighbours

Assam, Mizoram...BANGLADESH

My blog on Tripura will cover all the interesting things I have mentioned alove...m so excited to write about Tripura.

Why not on Tripura?

The other day I was wondering that since the time I started  blogging I've written about all the places I've travelled, all kinds of food and have uploaded pics. from every where but what is funny is, Why have I not written much on Tripura, this is where I've been living for the past 3 yrs, this is one place I know so well...aisa koi district nahi hai jahan mei nahi gayee North, South, West and Dhalai...I've been to Dammcherra, Kachanpur, Ganganagar which are like the back of the beyond of beyond. Tripura has many options and I could have written so much on Tripura but after analysing my blog I realized maine kuch kash likha nahi hai Tripura ke baare mei..jabke mujhe likhna chhayeh tha...but koi nahi..abhi bhi time hai and I have decided to start my travel n food series on Tripura.

I hope I can do my bit and make Tripura known to whoever reading my blog a lit bit more. 

Road Trip- Leimaram

One of the best thing about staying n working in Tripura is I can travel home even for weekends...I remember going home for a day. The 40 mins flight to Imphal from Agartala is the shortest flight route I take, pata he nahi chalta ke kab flight mei baithe aur kab pahunch gayee. I plan n try goin home once almost every 2-3 months and I always look fwd to my home trip, thats the time when I can relax and not worry about work...aaj woh cluster mei kya hua...kal dusre cluster mei meeting hai...oh..I have to attend the meeting at secretriat

My trip this time was short but it was good, we travelled to Leimaram as I really wanted to see Manipur mei world famous "Leimaram Waterfall" but my dad's poor car betrayed us as it had rained the previous night, the poor old Maruti 800 couldn't climb,  I've seen only the pics of the waterfall but next time I'll ensure that we go in a bigger car. I've gone to Leimaram many times and  remember the horrible road condition from the main road till the village which is about 2 Kms, this time I was very surprised as the roads have improved and driving was not a pain anymore. The trip was like a family picnic trip and I enjoyed my road trip tp Leimaram.